If you are asked to sign a non-compete agreement, our experienced attorneys can advise you about your rights.
The Colorado legislature passed a law that allows employers to impose a non-compete agreement on only a limited set of employees. A non-compete is an agreement that requires a worker not to work for a competitor after ending work with the employer. If your employer is asking you to sign a contract with a non-compete clause or an employer is attempting to enforce a non-compete agreement after you have found new work, our attorneys are able to advise you about your rights.
Generally, employers are not able to enforce a non-compete agreement against most workers. The only exceptions to this rule are:
- Contracts regulating the sale of a business or certain business assets
- Contracts meant to protect trade secrets
- Contractual provisions that provide for the repayment of professional education and training
- If you served as an executive or manager (or as a direct member of an executive or manager’s professional staff)
Even if a worker falls in to one of these exceptions, the employer still must prove that the non-compete is reasonable. A business must show that the non-compete is reasonable both in its geographic scope, the places where it prohibits you from working; its scope, the subject matter or type of jobs it prohibits you from working; and its duration or length of time it prohibits you from working.